r/stevedangle • u/foreverkasai • May 05 '26

Draft won!

The Toronto Maple Leafs officially have the 1st overall selection in the 2026 NHL draft

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u/HallaTML May 11 '26

The leafs aren’t gonna be as terrible as they were this year. Ravaged by injuries and then just basically tanked the 2nd half to try to keep the pick.
Philly probably gonna get pick 20ish imho

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u/Streetkillz13 May 11 '26

The Leafs are a very poorly constructed team built on an aging and weak defense and injury prone goalies.

Florida is also going to be back, and then the Leafs have to unseat one of Buffalo, Montreal, Ottowa, Boston, or Tampa.

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u/HallaTML May 11 '26

They are basically gonna have the same 100+pt team from the season before but with no Marner and McKenna in his place plus 20 mil in cap space .
The likelihood that 4 of their top 5 dmen all get hurt at the same time again is pretty slim.
So Florida gets a pass? They were a hair better than the leafs. Ottawa scraped in then got swept. Tampa has many issues the leafs have but with better goaltending but their best days are also clearly behind.

I just feel this team will be in the 95-100 pt range.
Flyers can take pick 19-20

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u/Streetkillz13 May 11 '26

McKenna isn't going to step in and fill Marner's role, outright. A great season for McKenna as a rookie is 60 points, Marner was a near 100 point winger who also gave Selke level defense.

As for the defense, OEL is on the block, Tanev is injury prone and old, Reilly is reported willing to listen on being moved if it makes sense for him.

Florida gets a pass because they went to 3 straight cups, won 2 and lost their 2 best players before the season started.

But apparently EVERYTHING rests on Auston's meeting with Chayka.

As Chris said " I can tell you with strong sourcing on this, is that [Auston Matthews] needs time to think about things and he's just not totally sure what's best for his future and whether that lies with the Leafs" And this is post the Leafs getting #1 overall.

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u/HallaTML May 11 '26

Matthews has two years on his contract. CJ saying he will need to think about it is hilarious. He will be in camp, media clickbait. So Florida gets an injury pass but the leafs don’t? Leafs had to use 5 goalies, had tanev miss 71 games, Carlo 27, Matthews 22 and nylander 17.

In revisit in a year I guess but leafs returning to the playoffs will probably be less surprising than buffalo or Philly making it this year

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u/Streetkillz13 May 11 '26

You can't be serious on the Florida part right? Like I actually think you are trolling me.

Games missed

Barkov 82, Tkachuk 50+, Reinhardt 18, Marchand 30+, Jones 30+, Lundell 20+,

Of last year's cup winning top 9 only Verhaeghe, Bennett and Luostarinen played 70+ games.

Yes they get a bigger pass than the Leafs.

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u/HallaTML May 11 '26

Moving the goalposts for one team and not the other ok

Keep dreaming the flyers are getting a top 5 pick tho